Ink drier for printing presses



March 7, 1950 P. H. DUNAKIN ETAI.

INK DRIER FOR PRINTING PRESSES 2 vSheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 14, 1947INVENToRs.

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March 7, 1950 P. H. DUNAKIN ErAL INK DRIER RoR PRINTING RREssEs 2Sheets-Shea?I 2 INVENTORS. J/aw Filed Feb. 14, 19.47

Patented Mar. 7; v1x95() l INK DRIQR FOB PRINTING PRESSES raul H.Dunakin, Wheaton, and Fred B. Korb, Downers Grove, Ill.

Application February 14, 1947, Serial No. 728,628

1 claim. l

I'his invention relates to improvements in ink dryers for printingpresses and has for its principal object to` provide a simple, compactand effective apparatus for applying heated gases to the paper web as itleaves the inking rolls of a printing press, so as to facilitate thedrying of the ink and make it possible to increase the speed of thepress.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofdrying hood and a recirculating air heater of specially compactarrangement which is capable of being readily applied to printingpresses of conventional construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof auxiliary air intake for the recirculating system including a coolair vent which automatically opens when the speed of the press isreduced below a predetermined rate so as to avoid the application of anexcessive amount of heat to the web when the press is slowed down orstopped.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from time totime as the following description proceeds.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of ourinvention in which the furnace is mounted on the printing press belowthe moving web, with parts of the apparatus shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail section taken on line 3 3 oi Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken on line l-I of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a composite figure in part diagrammatic showing the automaticcontrol mechanism for the auxiliary air intake; and

Fig. 6 is a side view showing a modified form of apparatus in which thefurnace is mounted on the press above the moving web.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of our invention illustratedin Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the paper web to be dried is indicatedat I as it passes from the inking rolls (not shown) and over spacedrollers II and I2 mount' ed as usual between side rails or frame membersI3, I3 of the press.

The drying apparatus is formed as a composite structural unit forattachment to the side rails I3, I3 and I4, I4 and includes an elongatedfurnace or heating element I having inlet and outlet manifolds I6, I1 atvopposite ends thereof connected to the ends of a hood having anelongated restricted passage 2I through which the web I0 passes.

The heating element I5 consists of a cylindrical casing having a gasburner 26 mounted at one end thereof. An air blowerA indicated at 21 ismounted at the opposite end of the casing adjacent'the outlet manifoldI1 and is driven by any suitable power device such as an electric motor29 connected thereto by pulleys 30, 30 and belt 3|. The current supplyto the motor 23 can be controlled independently or can be connected forsimultaneous control with the power switches for thepress.

The hood 20 includes a top plate 35 and a bottom plate 36 which aregenerally arched or curved in opposed relation to each other and areconnected to each other to vform an enclosed housing excepting forelongated slots 31, 38 at opposite sides of the hood, which define theends of the passage 2I through which the web I0 is passed.

The manifold I1 which in Fig. 1 is at the left end of the hood 20, isconnected with two pairs` of discharge ducts 40, 40 and 4I, 4I extendingrespectively through the length of the hood and disposed in symmetricalrelation to the passage 2|. Said discharge ducts are closed at theiropposite ends against the inner wall 42 of the manifold I6. The upperducts lll, l0 are disposed in parallel spaced relation to each other,along the top plate 35 of the hood, and the lower ducts Il,

4I 'are similarly disposed along the bottom plate 38. The two pairs ofducts l0 and 4I have continuous restricted nozzles 40d and Ila,respectively directed downwardly and upwardly toward each other andterminating in spaced relation to each other on opposite sides of thepassage 2| as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The manifold I6 communicates with two pairs of exhaust ducts 44 and 45in said hood which are closed at their opposite ends against the innerupright wall 46 of the manifold I1. The upper exhaust ducts M aredisposed along opposite sides of the upper pair of nozzles 40a, 40a andclosely adjacent the slots 31 and 38 of the hood. Said exhaust ducts 44have inlet apertures a therealong, preferably opening toward the centerof the hood, l,close to the path of the web II) and at an angle ofapproximately 45 thereto. The lower exhaust ducts 45 with inletapertures 45a are similarly disposed near the slots 31 and 38 of thehood in spaced relation to the lower pair of nozzles lla. A,

When the apparatus is applied to the press, the hood 20 is adjusted sothat when the web I0 is passed over the rollers II and I2 of the press,said web passes freely through the slots 3'I and 38 and between theopposed nozzles 40a and lla the heater is put in operation, the blower21 forces the heated gases from the furnace through the manifold I1 anddischarge duct; 4l, 4I so as to .be directed through nozzles 40a and Iaunder l'. Vof thejex'haust'ductmas shown in Fig. 2. When y system abovedescribed, most of the gases from the left hand discharge noules 40a andlla will tend to be directed along the surface of the web toward theleft hand exhaust ducts Il and u,

while most of the gases from the right hand dis- 4 charge nozzles 40aandlla will tend to be directed along the web in the opposite direction,

toward the right hand discharge ducts 4I and Il. However, some of thegases from the adjacent pair of nozzles "a, a will be deflected from theweb toward a central zone Il between the ducts Il, Il, and similarly,some of the gases from adjacent pair of nozzles Ila, lla will bedeflected into a central zone Il, opposite the zone Il. Since neither ofthese central zones I8, I9 have direct communication with the exhaustducts, therewill be a tendency to build up a relatively higher gaspressure in these central zones than' in the outer sones adjacent theexhaust ducts 4l and It. The heated gases will therefore be partiallytrapped in comparatively static condition in the central sones 48 and49, which thus form opposed prossure balancing zones extending acrossthe' center of the hood. A Y

An auxiliary' cool air vent is provided in the recirculating system toprotect the web against excessive heat when the press rolls are reducedbelow a predetermined speed. or stopped. In the form shown herein, saidair vent indicated at Il is mounted at one side of the heater casing 25control mechanism shown and described, it will be understood that whenthe printing press is rst started and the roller and web have exceededthe predetermined speed requii ed for closing the mercury switch 00, thedoor 52 is closed by -hand and will remain closed until the press againdrops below said predetermined speed. In this manner, the web will beprotected against excessive heat whenever it slows down or stops.

With our improved drying apparatus, it will be understood that theheated gases can be applied to the moving web at a much highertemperature thaii--wold be practicable with a longer or slower run ofthe web through the hood. Thus,

y the inked surface is more'quickly heated than the body of the web, andthe latter does not become heated to a dangerous degree before it leavesthe hood. Moreover, some of the drying occurs after the web has left thehood. Consequently, the ink is dried more eectively than with priordevices.

We havev found in practice that most of the volatile gases collectedfrom the ink while in the hood are burned when they reach the ilame ofthe burner in the furnace, so that there is usually no necessity forotherwise removing such volatile gases from the circulating systems ofthe apparatus.

Altho h we have shown and described certain em ents of our invention, itwill be understood that we do not wish to be limited to theexactconstruction shown and described, but that various changes andmodications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofour invention as defined in the appended claim.

We claim: In an apparatus for applying heated gases to a moving web, anenclosed heat applying hood between the burner 20 and the blower 21, andpreferably immediately adjacent the latter. Said air vent consists of aframe 5I having a door l2 hinged on a horizontal shaft 53. The shaft hasa lever arm I4 nxed thereon with a weight 55 at its end, arranged toswing the door into opened position by gravity. The shaft also has alever arm l0 with an amature member 51 thereon, adapted to hold the doorclosed when engaged with 'an energized electromagnet 5l;

The electromagnetil is connected in circuit with a suitable controldevice responsive to the speed of movement of the web I0. In the formshown herein, the control device indicated at 53 is for conveniencemounted on one of the press frame rails I 3 adjacent one end of a webroller I2. Said control device includes a mercury switch Il carried by apivoted vane 0I. Said vane is placed in a discharge spout $2 of a blowerI3 driven through suitable speed increasing gearing Il connected to theweb roller I2. As long as the roller Arotates above a predeterminedspeed, the air from the blower will maintain the vane in an inclinedposition, with the mercury switch Il closed. thereby keeping the airvent l0 closed. But as soon as the roller drops below said predeterminedspeed, the vane 6I will drop by gravity to a position where the mercuryswitch will open. thus releasing the armature 51 and permitting the doorI2 of the cool air vent 5l to open by gravitahaving a, restrictedpassage therethrough for the web, discharge and exhaust ducts in saidhood, manifolds in ends of said hood on opposite sides of said passageconnected respectively with said discharge and exhaust ducts, afurnaceincluding a heating chamber connected to said manifolds, and blowermeans between said heating chamber and said discharge manifold forproducing recirculation of gases through said hood and furnace, meansfor moving the web, said furnace having an auxiliary cool air inlet inthe wall of its heating chamber adjacent the discharge manifold, adamper in' said air inlet. and control means for said damper responsiveto the speed of movement of said web for opening said damper when theweb speed is reduced below the predetermined value, and thereby reducingthe heat passing into the hood from said furnace.

PAUL H. DUNAKIN. FRED B. KORB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 tional action of the weight I5. With the specic

